WEEK 22: Portrait/Hand

Usually the face is the strongest element in the frame; with the hands being second.

Make the hands the most important element in your image this week.

The Candidates…

The hands down favorite amongst those in my oh-so-scientific poll (mom, hubby, bff) all picked this one of Brian’s hands I shot last Sunday while he was cutting down and dragging a tree branch. I love it too. This was my Instagram post.

My hesitation in choosing this one was because it’s an easy shot. He paused for me in his work. I had him angle his thumb slightly different. It’s a photo that can easily be recreated.

Unlike the photos I made at a Hillary Clinton Get-Out-The-Vote event. I suspected I’d have a good opportunity to capture some hands, so carried in my DSLR in addition to all of my broadcast gear. Trying to get the framing just right from my stationary position wasn’t easy.

Boy was I right about the hand thing!

The audience was a sea of hands holding up their cells to capture a shot of the candidate.

Of course there was clapping.

And then Mrs. Clinton went into the crowd to take selfies with people, and the hands went wild.

My personal favorite of the bunch is the one below. I love the negative space above the hands, the flag, the light, the way the man’s hands stand out against the solid background. Certainly the most artistic of the group. But does it scream “HAND PORTRAIT”? Not as much as the others.

In the end, I honestly couldn’t pick just one. And hey, it’s a personal challenge, which means I can break the rules, right? Right.